During its 3-year anniversary celebrations the Malaysian MVNO Buzzme unveiled its ambition of transforming itself into a regional MVNO with Thailand as its next destination, under the slogan One World, One SIM Card.

The Buzzme team used its 3-year anniversary to re-launch and re-brand itself under the slogan: One World, One SIM Card, with new logo, products, promos and rewards, and the unveiling of a roadmap towards regional presence.

First on the map is Thailand where the MVNO is said to be launching in September 2016, followed by Indonesia later this year, the Philippines in Q2 2017 and Myanmar in Q4 2017.

MVNA, MVNE, MVNO

Buzzme’s CEO, Loke Yee Siong is also the CEO of the Malaysian Mobile Virtual Network Aggregator (MVNA) Enabling Asia Tech Sdn Bhd., who re-sells airtime for U-Mobile in Malaysia, using the platform of the French-based Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) Sisteer.

In late 2014 the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), Clixster Mobile announced it had signed an agreement with Enabling Asia Tech Sdn Bhd and was taking over Enabling Asia.

NEW MVNO IN THAILAND OR NOT?

The launch of Buzzme in Thailand next month is interesting, as there are no MVNO licenses registered at Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecom Regulator (NBTC) with that name, and no host operator has come forward to claim a new MVNO on their network. Likewise, we have not seen any announcement from the regulator on allocation of SIMs to Buzzme.

The website www.buzzme.co.th is unavailable. The domain holder is registered as Enabling Asia Tech (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (บริษัท เอ็นเอบลิง เอเชีย เทค (ไทยแลนด์) จำกัด) Representative of Enabling Asia Holdings Sdn Bhd – and was created on the 27 July 2016. There is also no MVNO license published at the NBTC with the name Enabling Asia.

There is however a Thai Facebook page with some activity and a photo of the local Enabling Asia team. According to SMElink.net the company was setup in March 2014 with just THB 1,000,000 in capital.

A quick look at one of the other Malaysian MVNO’s in Thailand IEC3G TRON solves the mystery.

MVNO IEC3G TRON BECOMES BUZZME

The link mentioned on the Tron page, buzzme.in.th is being forwarded to Buzzme in Malaysia www.buzzme.com.my

The change to Buzzme, is the second time IEC3G changes its name and ownership, from the original IEC3G to IEC3G-Tron to Buzzme.

In 2013, International Engineering Company PCL (IEC) Thailand was looking to sell its MVNO IEC3G and in March 2014, 100% of the registered and paid-up capital held in the MVNO was sold to Tron (Thailand) Co., Ltd for THB 11,714,400.

Tron (Thailand) Co.,Ltd is a company held by the Thai Process Agent Co.,Ltd with 51% of the shares, and Talk Focus Sdn. Bhd of Malaysia with 49%

IEC3G was one of the first five initial MVNO’s to be granted a MVNO license in Thailand operating on the network of TOT Public Company Limited. It remains to be seen if Buzzme will continue IEC3G’s MVNO wholesale contract with TOT – or launch on another host operator in Thailand.

Buzzeme marks the 4th entry of a Malaysian telco company into the Thai MVNO market, following the MVNO Tune Talk (Celcom), MVNO IEC3G/Tron, and VM Digital (a subsidy of Axiata Group Bhd)